Viking Neptun gets a gig in Ghana

 

The contract has been secured through the Ghanaian entity Eidesvik Ghana Limited, which is operated by Ghanaian partners in cooperation with Eidesvik, and Technip.

The firm contract period is 50 days plus mobilization period with an option for charterers to extend the scope of work by a further 50 days. Work is expected to start in the middle of the fourth quarter of this year.

Designed by Salt Ship Design, the 145 m x 31 m OCV has a 400 ton crane and was delivered by shipbuilder Kleven Verft’s Eidesvik, Norway, shipyard in February 2015.

Eidesvik Offshore says the ship “stands out as an excellent base for complex subsea operations” and with the joint crew from Technip and Eidesvik has delivered excellent performance.

“The vessel has been operating for Technip since she was delivered from the yard and we are very pleased to continue the good relation and cooperation between the Technip and Eidesvik teams onboard the vessel and onshore”, says Jan Fredrik Meling, CEO of Eidesvik Offshore ASA.
The end-user is Tullow Ghana Limited, the operator and part-owner of the TEN field in Ghana.

CVN 78 sea trials delayed

The Navy and shipbuilder, Newport News Shipbuilding had scheduled a delivery date of March 31, 2016 for the ship. That will now likely slip  to mid- or late-May.

In its statement yesterday, the Navy said “the sea trial schedule will be delayed about six to eight weeks. The exact impact on ship delivery will be determined based on the results of sea trials.The Navy called the delay a “prudent step” providing “the most affordable path to delivery. All the work and any associated schedule delays are being managed within budget and below the $12,887 million cost cap.”

The Navy did not say what particular part of the test program has gotten behind schedule.

It did note that significant progress to date has been made on CVN 78, including:

CVN 78 is 93% complete.

Bio-Sea BWTS chosen for 18,000 TEU containership

The U.K.-flagged Vasco de Gama has a length of 399 m and beam of 54 m.

Delivered July 27 (see earlier story) by China State Shipbuilding Corporation, it is thus largest containership ever delivered from a Chinese shipyard.

Bio-UV says it has been cooperating closely with a great number of partners, including the CMA CGM Group, in order to provide modular, reliable, innovative and energy saving ballast water management systems that are effective in all
water qualities.

The Bio-Sea system uses filtration and high power UV to treat ballast water without requiring any chemicals.

Press release BIO SEA CMA 4

VIDEO: Chilean Navy scuttles salvaged ferry

Following the grounding, the ferry, the 126.31 m Amadeo I operated by Navimag, was parbuckled and refloated by Resolve Marine, in an operation that was the subject of a case study presented at this year’s Marine Log Marine Salvage Conference by Sam Kendall-Marsden, Syndicate Director, Charles Taylor and Co. Limited and Todd Schauer, Director of Operations, Resolve Fire & Salvage (Americas), Inc.

Subsequent to the salvage, however, insurers declared the vessel a Total Constructive Loss.

amadeo 500pxThe Chilean Maritime Authority (DIRECTEMAR), which is a department of the Chilean Navy, granted permission for the vessel to be sunk under its supervision in 2,700 m of water, northwest of Puerto Natales and over 70 km off Diego de Almagro Island.

Photo from DIRECTEMAR shows Amadeo I prior to parbuckling operation

The sinking was the final chapter in a story that began in 1976 when the vessel was delivered by Norwegian shipbuilder Trosvik Versted as the Seaspeed Dana. Since then, the vessel had sailed under a variety of owners, flags and names.

According to the Chilean Navy, DIRECTEMAR decided that the vessel should be sunk as hull damage was so extensive as not to allow for safe passage during towing to a port for scrapping. Dismantling the ferry in situ was also ruled out because of the risk of serious environmental impact from what would have been a long operation in a location subject to extreme weather conditions.

The Chilean Navy says that prior planning to ensure compliance with strict precautions for the protection of the marine environment meant that the sinking went “smoothly and according to plan.”

Cat offers C280 engines that meet EPA Tier 4 limits

 

The EPA Tier 4 standards applied to all new U.S. flagged vessels starting in January 2014. IMO III standards will apply to all new vessels entering IMO NOx Emissions Control Areas (NECA) starting in January 2016.

The C280 engines are available in eight, 12 and 16-cylinder models spanning a power range from 2300 ˗ 5060 kW as main engines – conventional and diesel electric – and also as auxiliary generator sets. Caterpillar says that the latest models offer significant benefits over earlier units. As well as reduced emissions, they consume less fuel and have lower through-life owning and operating costs.

According to Nathan Kelly, Caterpillar Marine production definition engineer, the choice of SCR over other NOx reducing technologies, was made based on the Caterpillar commitment to customers to offer solutions that provide the highest uptime and minimize overall total lifecycle cost.

“SCR was a clear choice for us,” explains Mr. Kelly. “We have more than 160,000 Tier 4 Final and Interim engines in land-based operations using various NOx-reduction technologies. In marine applications, we specifically chose the best technology to fit the needs of our industry. We view SCR as the preferred option for the commercial marine industry. “

“The C280 is already renowned for its high uptime, reliability and durability,” he continued, “but for these Tier 4 engines our priority was to achieve the lowest lifecycle owning and operating cost. We have succeeded in this by improving engine fuel efficiency. Unlike previous emissions tiers, our Tier 4 engines can run at optimal fuel efficiency because the SCR system is in place to reduce the higher NOx output.”

He says that any concerns about the cost of the urea based Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) used in SCR technology are more than offset by the improved fuel efficiency delivered.

“Unlike some other NOx reduction technologies, our engines operate without interruption even in the event of SCR failure or running out of DEF,” adds Mr. Kelly. “There is no effect to engine operation.”

DOF charters in PSV from Vard for Chevron job

The vessel, now named Skandi Responder, is a VARD 1 08 design platform supply vessel. According to Vard it is the first of two vessels whose original shipbuilding contracts were terminated earlier this year. It has now been delivered from the Vard Vung Tau shipyard in Vietnam and sold to Vard Shipholding Singapore Pte. Ltd., a newly established wholly-owned subsidiary of Vard Holdings.

Vard says that it continues to explore opportunities for a sale of the vessel. The second PSV whose contract was terminated is still under construction at Vard Vung Tau, with an expected completion date in second quarter 2016.

Vard CEO and Executive Director Roy Reite commented, “I am delighted that together with our long-term client DOF, we have found a solution that secures employment for this vessel following completion at the yard in Vung Tau. Securing this charter in today’s difficult market is proof of the attractiveness of Vard-built vessels for some of the most demanding jobs in the offshore industry, and I am confident that successfully operating it in Australia will increase our chances for a sale.”

Marathon buys Aker Philly interest in four newbuilds

 

This follows last month’s news that Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) had agreed the four Jones Act tankers building for the shipyard’s wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Philly Tankers LLC.

Marathon’s buy-out of APSI’s interest in the Crowley joint venture with respect to each vessel will occur on its delivery from the shipyard. Deliveries of all four vessels are expected to occur from Q3 2015 to Q3 2016. APSI expects to recognize a pre-tax gain of approximately $10 million per vessel from the transaction.

APSI will make an investment in the vessels during their construction, but will no longer maintain the previously planned long-term investment in the vessels post-delivery, which was expected to be approximately $110 million in the aggregate.

“This transaction is an important part of AKPS’s plan to divest its shipping investments and realize the value created for shareholders,” said Kristian Rokke, Chairman of AKPS. “We are proud of what we have accomplished together with Crowley under the joint-venture and look forward to serving both Crowley and Marathon Petroleum as shipbuilders into the future.”

All four of the vessels subject to the transaction are under construction. APSI has also begun construction of the first two of four additional 50,000 dwt tankers for a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, Inc., which are planned to be delivered between November 2016 and November 2017.

The shipyard also has contracts for two 3,600 TEU containerships for Matson Navigation Company, Inc., which are planned to be delivered in 2018.

On July 16, 2015, the company announced that it intends to change its name to Philly Shipyard by the end of the year, pending shareholder approval.

VIDEO: Crowley’s LNG fueled ConRo now 25% complete

 

First steel for the ship was cut in October 2014 and it is now 25 percent complete.

“Week by week, we have watched the pair of Commitment Class ships begin to take shape,” said John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico/Caribbean liner services. “It’s been incredible to watch. Once fully constructed, these new vessels will embody superior technology and construction and, while we are anxious to get them into service for our partners in Puerto Rico, we are thrilled that they are coming together on schedule.”

“The entire team at VT Halter Marine is pleased and proud to be partnered with Crowley in the construction of these magnificent ships,” said VT Halter Marine President and CEO Jack Prendergast. “It is a pleasure to see the hard work of the Crowley/Halter team come to fruition.”

The ships will be 219.5 meters long, 32.3 meters wide (beam), have a deep draft of 10 meters, and an approximate deadweight capacity of 26,500 metric tons.Cargo capacity will be approximately 2,400 TEUs (20-foot-equivalent-units), with additional space for nearly 400 vehicles in an enclosed Roll-on/Roll-off garage.

Each ship will be powered by an MAN B&W 8S70ME-GI8.2 main engine and three MAN 9L28/32DF auxiliary engines fueled by LNG.

The ship design is provided by Wärtsilä Ship Design in conjunction with Crowley subsidiary Jensen Maritime, a leading Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm.

The Commitment Class, Jones Act ships will replace Crowley’s towed triple-deck barge fleet, which has served the trade continuously and with distinction since the early 1970s. These new ships will offer customers fast ocean transit times, while accommodating the company’s diverse equipment selection and cargo handling flexibility. El Coquí and Taíno are scheduled for delivery second and fourth quarter 2017 respectively.

Designing, building and operating LNG-powered vessels is in line with Crowley’s overall EcoStewardship positioning and growth strategy. The company formed an LNG services group earlier this year to bring together the company’s extensive resources to provide LNG vessel design and construction management; transportation; product sales and distribution, and full-scale, project management solutions.

Australia bans Indonesian lemon for three months

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015 — The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned an Indonesian flagged general cargo ship from entering or using any port in Australia for three months. The ship is

CO2 emissions: Shipping is part of the solution

ICS, whose membership comprises national shipowners’ associations from 37 countries representing more than 80% of the world merchant fleet, has some key messages for government negotiators on the progress shipping is making to reduce its carbon footprint.

According to ICS, the global industry is already delivering carbon neutral growth having reduced total CO2 emissions by more than 10% since 2007, despite an increase in maritime trade.  

CO2 emissions from international shipping now represent just 2.2% of the world’s total CO2 emissions compared to 2.8% in 2007 (UN IMO Green House Gas Study, 2014). 

“These are genuine reductions through fuel efficiency, without the need for complex virtual measures such as carbon offsets,” said ICS Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe. “With bigger ships, better engines and smarter speed management, the industry is confident of a 50% CO2 reduction by 2050 when the entire world fleet will comprise super fuel-efficient ships, many using clean fuels such as LNG.” 

But in the run-up to the Paris Conference, the shipping industry recognizes that governments expect more.
IMO has already set a mandatory target whereby all ships built from 2025 (including those in developing nations) must be 30% more efficient than ships built in the 2000s.  This applies to over 95% of the world merchant fleet, under new regulations that came into force worldwide in 2013. 

ICS says that IMO is the only place that can ensure that the entire world fleet will continue to deliver further CO2 reductions, regardless of a ship’s flag, while respecting the United Nations Framework – Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) principle of “Common But Differentiated Responsibility.” 

ICS stresses that the 10% CO2 reduction achieved since 2007 is across the shipping sector globally, not just ships registered in richer countries which are the only nations required to make commitments for land-based CO2 reductions under the current Kyoto Protocol on climate change. 

“The entire world fleet is about 20% more efficient than in 2005.  With the support of the shipping industry, IMO has already achieved a great deal and is the only forum that can deliver further significant CO2 reductions from international shipping,” said Peter Hinchliffe. 

A new ICS fact sheet “Delivering CO2 Emission Reductions: Shipping is Part of the Solution” can be downloaded HERE

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